BELVIDERE, Ill. (AP) -- Chrysler Group LLC has announced a temporary second shift will start Nov. 17 in a move to boost production of the Dodge Caliber by 10,000 units by the end of the year.
Initial plans by Chrysler was to add the shift in October. The company postponed the move because of supplier shortages.
Company spokesman Max Gates says although the second shift will begin next week, production of the 2010 Dodge Caliber, with updated interiors, wheels and color choices, will start Nov. 30.
Chrysler currently has about 1,700 employees in Belvidere on one shift. When announcing the temporary shift, the company announced the addition of nearly 1,000 workers.
Chrysler lost upward of $8 billion last year and would have run out of cash had the U.S. government not stepped in with $15.5 billion in aid.
